A New Perspective
by Inscribbled
Summary: To everyone else, Squall seems to be sick of the way things are going for him. However, the reclusive, maturing adult may have ulterior motives for his rash and odd conduct. Takes place five months after FFVIII, Squall/Seifer, rated M for future content.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **A New Perspective

**Notes: **This will turn into Seifer/Squall. Eventually. Maybe. I don't know if I'll finish this. Also, blame the format and probably the language used on a mind broken due to constant essay writing. ...And having written it at 3am after my brain had been nagging me for three days to just start writing the damn thing. It seems to have turned into a lot of unexpected storyline development for the setting rather than the story itself. But I'm pretty sure my brain is going to nag me for another few days until I get to writing the part I've really been wanting to write. So uh... Don't worry, I'm sure I'll finish? (Especially if, you know, you leave comments/critique pushing me to work on it) ... Yeah ... 3am ... Stopping now.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the game, characters, places... Just the console that got me hooked and the laptop that allowed for me to write this.

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"I need to get away from here."

The terse response caused Rinoa to tense. She shifted closer to the edge of the bed where she sat, her light body sinking into the soft down wrapped in the duvet. The cautious expression on her face spoke for her; she was at a loss for words. This wasn't the first time Squall had left her at a loss for words. Not lately. As each week went by, the ice beneath her feet seemed thinner. In fact, if she hadn't been sitting, she was sure she would have fallen straight through the floor.

Things hadn't changed at Balamb Garden. You would pass by the same faces every day; sit in the same classroom with the same group, learning the same thing, teaching the same thing; training as usual, missions as usual. Almost everyone found it comforting, although boring and monotonous. Every one of Squall's companions had returned to Balamb Garden with him after the ordeal they had experienced together. Quistis returned to instructing, with Squall occasionally and reluctantly performing demonstrations and assisting in training exercises to improve the quality of graduating students. Most of the others lent their assistance to Quistis as well, except Zell, who was kept occupied in other, less potentially destructive settings.

You could say the objective of the Garden had altered slightly. "To ensure peace and prosperity," the official script detailed the Garden's new aspiration ... Sure, it sounded great on paper. In reality, Balamb Garden conducted itself as an autonomous, prestigious force of elite soldiers for hire. The headmaster would use his own discretion in terms of acceptable missions and the instructors, all ranking SeeD officers, would have their say. To the public, it served as the perfect compromise. The threat of Balamb Garden as an available force for hire seemed to negate the necessity of soldiers serving each major power. Should conflict arise, SeeD negotiators would often step in and resolve the issue before it led to physical altercation. Should negotiation fail and one side attempt to retaliate, SeeD would be ready to step in to forcefully resolve the situation. Since the implementation of the new script, there had only been one such out of hand conflict. With the result favouring the side which hired Garden to handle negotiations, most were reluctant to bother with the hassle of conscripting a small army just to have it quickly shot down by the Garden hired by a neighbouring power.

Either way you look at it, from the perspective of someone who actually knew what was going on, the entire operation reeked of totalitarianism. Not that this bothered the majority. Most people understood the necessity of Garden and welcomed it. Those who didn't simply stayed out of their way. For the time being, it was working.

"Did you hear me?" Squall took one heavy-booted step forward. He never meant to come off as intimidating toward his friends, but sometimes Rinoa couldn't help but feel as though he were doing it on purpose. The young girl seemed to study the booted foot in front of her, glaring at it meaningfully before replacing her angered expression with that of her original look of caution.

"I heard you, Squall."

Rinoa lifted her head, her gaze trailing slowly up Squall's body. She bit down on her lip. This was hardly the time, she knew, to get distracted. The look on her companion's face was not one of contentment. Far from it; Squall's brow was furrowed, the sharp look in his eyes giving off a hawk-like expression. His lips were curved neither up nor down, forming a thin line to accent his thinning patience. He was serious, but he had been for weeks now. This wasn't unexpected, at least, so Rinoa thought. "Where are we going, then?"

The girl wasn't particularly attached to Balamb Garden. She was more of a resident than anything; not an official graduate, not an official student. She liked to consider herself an honorary member of the team, whatever that meant. Squall hadn't made any complaints; neither had the others. Seeing as their return had been only a short five months prior, everyone – including the headmaster – could honestly admit they hadn't given much thought or concern to the situation.

Everyone except Squall. He suddenly took a few quick, decisive steps toward the door of the dorm room, lifted his leather jacket from its perch, and pulled the door ajar. Rinoa rose from the bed as Squall turned to face her once again, her expression now one of bewilderment.

"I said, 'I' need to get away." The tension in the room was palpable, but Squall's expression changed to one resembling reluctance as he took one look back to Rinoa before stepping through the threshold of the doorway and shutting it behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: **Written very late at night, poor tenses, and written quickly. Enjoy? I plan to ensure that this turns into an actual story, so I didn't want to jump straight into S/S. But it's getting there, I promise!

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Squall was standing in the headmaster's office with his arms folded across his chest, leaning against the side of the headmaster's chair. At first glance, he didn't seem to be particularly interested in the discussion going on in the room. He was idly inspecting a tear in his jacket, wondering how he would repair it now that Rinoa wasn't speaking to him. He looked to be his usual cool and composed self. Quistis knew better by now, though. She had been watching him closely since he entered the office and it seemed obvious to her that he was a nervous wreck. She sat quietly in a chair opposite from the headmaster's, her legs folded and arms crossed. Her gaze drifted between Cid and Squall as she calmly calculated the best way to handle this situation. Cid was pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back. His face was beet-red and he was in- and exhaling at an unusually fast pace as he tried to think of what to say next.

The issue, which Quistis found to be a rather simple one, was that Squall was requesting a leave of absence from Garden. Cid was beyond reluctant to let him go; he almost outright refused the request until Quistis chimed in that it may be best to consider all options before making any decisions that would affect Squall's future. Upon Quistis' suggestion, Cid quickly agreed. It was no secret that the headmaster held a fondness for the woman; after all, he had reinstated her instructing license and insisted that she remain teaching at Balamb Garden instead of constantly leaving on missions. He was often seen walking the halls with her and almost always considered her advice. Most brushed it off as a business relationship. Squall just stayed out of their way entirely when they were together, not wanting to get involved in whatever kind of relationship it may be. It was a different story when Quistis walked the halls alone, however. As of late, Squall was spending most of his after-hour time in the library, which was now open to all students at all hours. Quistis, having discovered his hideout, also began frequenting the library. Despite their former relationship, which was bordering on mere acquaintance status, the two got along well nowadays. And it was thanks to her that he would have his chance to get out.

"We can't force him to stay here if he doesn't want to be here, Cid," Quistis spoke in an informal, sympathetic tone as she pleaded Squall's case. The headmaster lifted his hand, pressing his palm to his forehead. He wasn't happy with the idea, even with Quistis' coaxing.

"He's our _only _gunblade specialist and-"

"-And we've had no gunblade specialists apply as potential SeeD candidates lately, so he isn't needed here to train anyone."

"But if one shows up-"

"-He's not an instructor anyhow, so it wouldn't fall to him to take care of that person."

"Quistis," The headmaster gave her a hard stare.

"Cid," She retorted, giving him a look equivalent to the one directed to her.

"If you're both finished, I would really like to leave now," They both turned to look at Squall, who was still looking down at the small tear in the sleeve of his jacket. Cid only spared him a short glance but, as usual, Quistis took a moment longer. She could see the strain in Squall's slightly narrowed eyes, as if he were about to snap.

"You can't just leave," Cid tried to explain, but Squall either didn't seem to be listening or didn't care. When Quistis spoke, he finally looked up at her.

"He's right, Squall. You can't just leave. Your salary will be withheld, and where do you have to go, anyway?" She knew her question was a personal one. She also knew she was treading on very thin ice, but her point was a valid one. Squall mumbled something, looking out the window to avoid Quistis' gaze. She asked him to speak up.

"I said I want to go to Balamb. I don't need a damn salary, Quisty; I just need a change of scenery."

Cid thought this odd, considering that Balamb Garden flew across all continents weekly; the scenery was always changing. Quistis, on the other hand, knew exactly what he meant. She stood from her seat and moved over to the computer terminal off to the side of the headmaster's office. Cid made his way over to her as she sifted through the headmaster's administrative files on the screen as if they were her own until she finally stopped at the one she had been looking for. She moved to the side to give the headmaster room to read the file, casting a sympathetic glance in Squall's direction, which she knew he would catch. He simply shrugged at her.

"I see what you're trying to do here, but I don't think this will go over well in Balamb."

"What other choice do we have?" Quistis ran her fingers through her hair, which trailed down her back unhindered by the former clip that used to keep it neatly in place. Everyone thought she looked better this way, anyway. She looked at Cid as she tugged at the golden tips of her hair, working out any knots she had caused with her fussing. Cid gave her a long, hard look before turning back to the computer and printing out a paper copy. He took a moment to re-read it over and sign the bottom before walking over to Squall and handing it to him. Squall read it over to himself.

"I won't need this. I can find work on my own," He looked away from the paper after reading the first half of it and attempted to hand it back to Cid, who refused to accept it.

"I'm not hearing any of this," Cid insisted. "What you're proposing is that you'll be working as a mercenary for hire, and you know that is against everything we stand for. I don't want to hear another word. Take the sheet; it will procure you a job protecting Balamb under specific orders from Garden." The headmaster licked his lips after he spoke, looking away from Squall. He pushed his glasses up with his index finger. "Whether or not you use the form is out of my hands, but I'm sure you will since you have it."

Squall couldn't help but grin. He understood what the headmaster was doing now. This letter from Garden would leave a paper trail regarding Squall's 'assignment', which no one would be able to argue with or criticize, nor would they be able to say Cid wasn't doing his job. He looked over to Quistis, offering her a small but appreciative smile.

"We're practically on top of Balamb right now. Set us down and I'll be on my way." Squall looked at them expectantly, and they both stared back in disbelief. Night had fallen, monsters were roaming the roads, and there would be no way to drop Squall directly into Balamb. He didn't think this was an issue. This time, Quistis was the one to protest. The last thing she needed was to deal with him being eaten alive in the dark. Cid, on the other hand, had dealt with enough arguing for one evening. He quickly folded to Squall's pressure and landed Garden a good 20 minute walk from the gates of Balamb. Squall left immediately after Quistis had forced a quick embrace out of him, leaving her to tell every one of his friends where he'd gone.


End file.
